Effect of Composition and Morphology on Sensor Properties of Aerosol Deposited Nanostructured ZnO+In₂ O₃ Films

Leonid I. Trakhtenberg^1,2, Seyed M. Navid Khatami³, Genrikh N. Gerasimov¹, Olusegun J. Ilegbusi^3*

¹Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
²Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), Moscow, Russia.
³Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/msa.2015.63026                

Abstract

The structural characteristics are investigated of nanoheterogeneous films comprising ZnO, In₂ O₃ and ZnO + In₂ O₃ composite produced by aerosol spray pyrolysis technique (SPT). The process utilizes water solutions of zinc chloride and indium nitrate precursors. The X-ray diffraction data show that the SPT process results in polycrystalline films of hexagonal wurtzite type ZnO, and In₂ O₃ crystals of cubic structure. SPT-synthesized ZnO + In₂ O₃composites contain mixtures of these crystals. The morphology of the synthesized films is studied by scanning electron microscopy as well as the dependence of morphology on the synthesis conditions, specifically the temperature of the aerosol precipitation and the concentration of the precursors in solutions. The characteristics of nucleation and growth of oxide crystals during the synthesis of ZnO + In₂ O₃ composite films are also considered. The film with the composition 25 wt% ZnO + 75 wt% In₂ O₃ contains a large number of small crystal aggregates of arbitrary shape with a high density of contacts between the aggregates and are characterized by a homogeneous structure with high dispersion. Such morphology has high specific surface, which favors high sensory response. In addition, in this range of aggregate composition the relationship between the particles of the catalytically active component- ZnO, cleavage of hydrogen molecule, and In₂ O₃particles with a high concentration of conduction electrons is close to optimal for the maximum sensory effect in the detection of hydrogen.

Keywords

Nanoheterogenous Films, Nanocomposite Films, Mixed Metal Oxide Films, Aerosol Deposition,

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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